A break in civil war eases Yemenis' dream of Hajj pilgrimage

Performing Hajj has been Yasser Saeed's dream since 2018, and the dream has finally come true.

This year, Saeed, 48, is among the 24550 Yemeni pilgrims selected for the Hajj journey. For him, it is an indescribable joy and a fabulous time to do Islam's fifth pillar, performing pilgrimage. The Hajj pilgrimage began on June 26 and will end on July 1.

In the third week of June, Saeed flew from Sanaa to Jeddah; the first time a direct flight has happened since 2015 when Saudi Arabia imposed a blockade on Sanaa International Airport.

Subsequently, every year, all Yemeni pilgrims have had to travel on buses and endure arduous journeys. In July last year, bandits stopped a bus carrying Yemeni pilgrims in Abyan province in southern Yemen and forced them to hand over the money they had.

"When I see the poor and the sick needing a few dollars, I feel it is better and wiser to spend it on them instead of Hajj. The rich cannot please God by performing the Hajj journey while leaving the helpless sick and famished"

With the ongoing pause of war, thousands of Yemeni pilgrims' travel to Mecca this year has been easier and safer.

Saeed told The New Arab, "Instead of the three-day travel on the bus from Sanaa to Jeddah, it takes 2 hours by plane. This is a big bliss. Even travelling on buses at present is not dangerous as frontlines in many provinces are quiet."

The Hajj flights from Sanaa sparked hope not only in Yemen but also at the international level. The UN Yemen envoy, Hans Grundberg, said in a tweet, "I hope this positive step and the spirit of peace of the Hajj season encourage the parties to take more steps to ease freedom of movement restrictions including inside Yemen, reach a nationwide ceasefire and start an inclusive political dialogue under UN auspices."

Rising Hajj fees

Over the last four years, Hajj fees imposed on pilgrims from several countries have kept soaring. In 2019, the Yemeni pilgrim paid $2700. Today they pay about $3200, excluding the transportation fare. When high Hajj expenses and war meet in Yemen, that forms a big ordeal for pilgrims.

Abdul Haleem, 50, said he has devoted $4500 to Hajj fees and relevant expenses, and he does not feel it is a burden so long as the Yemen war remains inactive.

Haleem owns a bakery in Sanaa, and such a business makes him a good profit. Now he is performing Hajj with no worry about his financial circumstances.

He told The New Arab, "The war robbed us of stability, money, and peace of mind. But today, my bakery is running, and my income keeps flowing. I will return from the Hajj journey free from debts and financial troubles. I would not experience such bliss should the flames of war be ablaze. This is the most joy I have ever felt."

He explained how the war affects his business: "When the conflict intensifies, cooking gas shortage surfaces. This disrupts the operation of my bakery and costs me a financial loss. I will pray to God during my Hajj journey that the war in Yemen will stop forever."

Prepared for next year

Mohammed Abdulrahman, a 52-year-old resident in Sanaa, applied for Hajj this year, but his name was not selected. Abdulrahman will apply again next year. He said, "I do not know why some names got selected on their first try while others need to wait years."

According to the Yemeni Endowments and Guidance Ministry, which regulates the Hajj and Umrah affairs, the population density in every Yemeni province is the main criterion taken into account during the selection of Hajj applicants.

Abdulrahman hoped to be selected for Hajj this year because he wants to go while Yemen witnesses a break in the civil war. He told The New Arab, "Going for Hajj during peacetime is safer and easier. I also feel that Hajj, in the absence of war, is more spiritual. My chief dream is performing Hajj while my country has no war."

He added, "If the war breaks out again, I am not sure I will apply for Hajj. Going for Hajj during the armed conflict is more expensive, and the money spent on this religious practice can be better spent on living expenses."

Spending on Hajj or the poor?

Some Yemeni civilians do not deem spending millions of dollars on Hajj "wise or religious" as the figure of needy people in the country keeps rising. According to UNICEF, the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance increased from 20.7 million in 2021 to 23.4 million in 2022, and about 19 million people need food assistance.

Abdul Kareem, a mosque imam in Yemen's Hodeida province, said feeding the hungry is a great deed, and its reward may be better than Hajj. He told The New Arab, "I know Hajj is an obligatory duty on the Muslim believers who have the means, but it is not human to spend thousands of dollars on Hajj while my neighbour is starving."

He added, "When I see the poor and the sick needing a few dollars, I feel it is better and wiser to spend it on them instead of Hajj. The rich cannot please God by performing the Hajj journey while leaving the helpless sick and famished."

Abdul Kareem concluded, "Let us calculate the Yemeni pilgrims' money spent on Hajj. 24255 people by $3200 is $77,616,000, let alone the transportation fees. This is a huge sum of money and would change the lives of many needy people is spent on them."

The writer is a Yemeni journalist, reporting from Yemen, whose identity we are protecting for their security.